1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image formation apparatus and, more particularly, relates to an image formation apparatus to which a detachable component is mounted, such as a toner container.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to use toner, as development mediums, in image formation apparatuses, such as laser printers. The toner is typically housed in a container (cartridge).
When the amount of toner remaining in the toner container is sufficiently reduced, the user replaces the toner container with a new toner container. Recently, users have increasingly purchased and used inexpensive recycled toner containers supplied by toner replacement suppliers.
However, the toner that is charged into such recycled products is usually different from so-called genuine toners in terms of composition and quality. This thereby causes a degradation of printing quality, for example, the occurrences of black stripes, black dots and white dots.
Furthermore, some such toner can adhere and solidify on the printer rollers, thereby damaging photosensitive drums and the like.
Therefore, there have been suggested printers that are so constructed and arranged that when an improper toner container is mounted in the printer and detected, a predetermined warning is generated. Additionally, at the same time, operation of the printer is prevented. More specifically, these printers are constructed such that, when a toner in the container is removed, vacant data indicative of the fact that the toner has been finished is recorded in a memory or the like which is attached to the toner container. Thereafter, if the container is refilled with toner and inserted into the printer, when the printer extracts this data from the toner container, and the toner container is treated as a recycled product and the operation of the printer will be immediately stopped.